The Portland daily press., 1887-08-23
AFTER sEvENTY-TWo YEARS.
A Deserter at Waterloo Pardoned by
Queen Victoria.

PROVIDENCE, r. l., Aug % -Seventy-two
years ago Robert Tirrell committed a crime
against his reigning sovereign, King George
the Third of England. Three days ago Tir-
rell. now SO years old, received royal par
don for his offence from the hands of his
offended monarch's granddaughter, Queen
Victoria, and now, after an absence of nearly
three-quarters of century, he is about to
return to his native land that he may die
among his kin and again see the places he
knew before compelled to go into exile.
, Tirrell, at the age of 20, enlisted in the
Butts, one of King Georges regiments, a few
years after its return to England. and was
ordered to proceed with it to Belgium, some
"a months later, where Napoleon was play
ing his last stake for empire. He was
simple country lad and had been inveigled
into enlistment by cunning recruiting SER
geant who had made him drunk and then
slipped the kings shilling into his pocket,
thus enabling him to drag the rustic off to
the wars in spite of his entreaties.
Iirrell admits that he was great coward,
and that glory had no attraction for him.
He was in such mortal fear of Bonaparte,
whom he had been taught to leok upon as
anti-Christ that when the troops were re-
viewed by the Prince Regent, previous to
the ranks as he, who was afterwards George
the Fourth, rode down the line and begged
to be allowed to go home. The prince called
him poltroon and passed on.
Being in Gen. Pictou's division and en-
camped on the banks of the river Nivelles,
Tirrell, ON the 18Th of June, 1915, planned
with comrade to escape the pending battle
by deserting. This comrade was also an alb
ject coward, and trembled at the prospect of
encountering the conQueror of Europe; but
being detected he was unable to get beyond
the lines, and on the 14th, the eve Of the
great battle of Waterloo, his fear was so
great that he deliberately severed the ham
string of his left leg thus crippling himself
for life. he was taken to the medical quar-
ters and Waterloo was fought and won with
out his presence.
During the 100 days occupation of Paris
this miserable coward was tried by court
martial and was sentenced to death. The
Duke of Wellington did not approve the pro-
ceedings when submitted to him. Hethought
the honorable form Of death from the mus
kets of soldiers was too good for the coward.
The sentence was therefore changed, and
the condemned was sentenced to have the
hamstring OF his other leg severed, and to be
kept prisoner at Fort Pitt. Chatham. for
on every anniversary Of Waterloo he was to
be taken from his bed and flogged with CATO
nine-tails, 100 lashes per annum.
In the meantime Tirrell had better luck.
He succeeded in crossing the Nivele and
finally reached Havre, where he secured q
place aboard an American ship ana came to
this country. In Richmond, Va, he mar
rled, reared a large family, and is now
Observation-Disclosures.
Seyenty-two years have since passed but
Tirrell has never dared to revisit his native
country, although he might have done so
with safety any time in the past fifty years.
Pardons are granted to deserters only at
Jubilees, and as there have been but three
royal jubilees among the monarchs of En-
gland from the time of Caesar, Tirreips
chances were slim.
In June last he read in the papers about
the royal proclamation and wrote to the
horseguards for the pardon vouchsafed
him. 1t is stated that when his great-great-
grandson sat down to address the letter at
the old mans dictation, the latter told him
to send it to the Duke of Wellington, whom
for the moment he thought to be still at the
head of the British army. The lad told him
the Iron Duke had been in his grave near 40
wears, and then the letter was addressed to
the colonel of the Bluffs" who no doubt
forwarded il to the hOrSeguards